Bittersweet Hello

Summary:
Bella and Edward in Forks, it's the same time period with the same people, but this time their roles are switched

Notes:
Edward Mason is a young 17 year old boy who has just moved to Forks with his mother in search of the renowned blood specialist, Dr. Cullen. His mother is sick with an unheard of blood disease and Dr. Cullen is their last hope. Bella Cullen is a 107 year old vampire with a body frozen in time at age 17. She alone in her family has not found love. She surrounds herself with books, and awaits the day her prince comes to sweep her of her feet.

5. Chapter 5; Curiosity

Never before in my eternal life had I ever been so dumbfounded. This new boy was not only beautiful, but he was brave. I knew my eyes were staring wide open at him, but I couldn’t help it. My mind whirled, unable to comprehend the wonder before me.

“I’m Bella,” I finally replied. His face relaxed a little from his conflicted state. It seemed as though he was struggling to come up with something to say; most people did when talking to one of my kind. Still, he forged on, seemingly at ease, though I could hear his heart beating rapidly. Don’t think about his heart, I chastised myself, even though I continued to think of the instincts that were fighting to take over.

“Bella Cullen?”

“Yes, why?” I felt myself becoming self-conscious, so a began to doodle on my folder so that I could drop his gaze.

“Is your father the Doctor…Carlisle Cullen?”

“Yes,” I answered, surprised that he knew this. What else did he know about my family? Why didn’t I know anything about his? If I could just shake his hand maybe…

“Oh, well, my mother and I moved here so that your father could treat her. I hear he’s brilliant.” I felt my mouth twitch as I held back a smile.

“It comes from many years of experience.” I felt the conversation dying down, and he was running out of ideas. Such a gentleman, I noted, to carry a conversation. His scent was again so mouthwatering that I had to close my eyes to concentrate on remaining calm. My head was swirling, and monstrous thoughts entered my mind.

“I suppose…he doesn’t look that old though,” he said, running his fingers through his bright hair and sounding unsure. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, he doesn’t. I guess he’s just aging well.” Very very very well. The conversation had come to what I considered an end as he stared awkwardly at my doodles.

Thankfully, the bell rang, giving a whole new meaning to ‘saved by the bell.’

“Well, I suppose I’ll see you later.” he said, before backing away to gather his stuff and follow a girl out into the rain.

I wanted to get to know him, but I shouldn’t. I couldn’t subject him to…me.

* * * * *

(Edward's POV)

“Whoa…where you really just talking to Isabella Cullen?” Katie gawked at me as though it were something scary.

“Bella.” I heard myself correct her before I realized I said it. “Yes, why?”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody have a conversation with her…was it a real conversation?”

“Yeah…I guess it was,” I tried to sound indifferent, though my heart was still pounding. I’d need more preparation before I spoke to her again. I smiled suddenly, realizing that I was already planning to talk to her again. It’d been a long time since I’d looked forward to meeting a person again, but there was something mysterious about her and her blank expression, as though there was something else. There was a glint in her golden eyes that comes when there’s an inside joke. That would possible, but the context just wasn’t write.

“Welcome to Forks High’s fine dinning experience. I’m sure you don’t have food like this back in Chicago,” said Katie as she led me to the line in the small lunch room. It was much like a normal lunch room with a lunch line near the front and many round tables organized in the remaining space.

She smiled back and handed me a tray while grabbing another one for herself. I wasn’t very hungry, so I grabbed an apple and a sandwich, not even bothering to grab a juice. I quickly paid and Mike called Katie and me over to a group of tables that held most of the more friendly people.

They each eagerly made room for me and I found that I had at least six spots waiting for me. I choose one next to Mike, at the cost of also sitting next to Jessica who blushed violently and fluttered her eyes obscenely.

I ate my food quietly, picking at it with my long fingers and listening to the chatter around me. From the looks of it, all of these people had known each other their entire lives. I felt like an intruder. I heard my name and heard somebody nudge me.“Yeah, Edward braved the Isabella,” snorted Katie from the table right behind the one I was seated at. She was pointing in my direction, but not at me. I turned forward once again to see what she pointed to.

Seated at a table furthest from the door was Bella, along with four other people just as angelically beautiful as her. They each looked so different, yet they were so much alike. Each had the same dark shadows under their eyes, and skin paler than any one else’s. To her left sat a huge guy that reminded me of a professional wrestler with huge bulking muscles and light brown hair.

To her left was another man who was very thin, yet muscled with fair blonde hair. A woman sat across from him with the same fair hair, which she wore long and wavy, and a body that would put models to shame. And seated right next to her was the pixie-like girl, Alice, that had helped me that morning.

“So you’ve noticed the Cullens,” asked Mike, who followed my stare to their table.

“’Cullens’ meaning they’re related?” I asked, still not looking away.

“Yeah, it’s a little weird. That big guy, Emmett, Isabella, and the little one, Alice, they’re all adopted. The doctor and his wife couldn’t have kids I guess, so they adopted three…And the two blondes, Jasper and Rosalie Hale, they’re foster kids. They live in this huge house just outside of town. They’re a little weird if you ask me.”

As I watched them, I realized that they didn’t speak. They actually didn’t appear to even look at each other. Suddenly, Alice turned to look at me for only moment, before Bella’s arm reached out to touch her hand. Jasper turned an angry stare towards Bella, but quickly turned away. Alice’s face went blank for a moment before she turned away from me once again. After a moment, she mechanically stood with her tray of untouched food. She walked to the garbage to dump her tray and left the cafeteria. Soon after the rest of the Cullens followed and soon after followed the rest of the cafeteria as the bell echoed through the room.

The rest of the day was uneventful, with few knew faces. Small towns came with small class sizes and therefore few faces to memorize. When the end of the day came, I made my way quickly to my old, dirty Volvo and shut out the chaos and rain. As I adjusted my mirror and buckled my seatbelt, I vaguely noticed a shiny black Jetta zooming out of the lot, faster than was safe but with the grace of a ballerina.